On his deathbed in November of 1963, just as he was passing away, Aldous Huxley asked his wife Laura to administer him with LSD. She agreed.

She then wrote a personal account in the form of a letter to his brother, Julian.

Photo: Letters of Note

For those of you who are not familiar with Huxley’s work, he is one of the world’s most famous satirist (known for works like Island and Brave New World) and one of the most prominent supporters of hallucinogens our society has ever known. Laura puts it well in explaining:

“It is history that Huxleys stop ignorance before ignorance can stop Huxleys.”

For those of you who are familiar with Huxley, this is the most comforting and interesting fact about the man known to date.

On dosing her husband with LSD in his final hours, Laura had this to say:

“Suddenly something became very clear to me. I knew that we were together again after this torturous talking of the last two months. Suddenly he had accepted the fact of death; he had taken this moksha (Sanskrit for liberation, or release) medicine in which he believed.”

When Huxley slipped into the vast unknown of death, he went comfortably and confidently to the words of his love:

“Go, go, let go, darling; forward and up. You are going forward and up; you are going towards the light. Willing and consciously you are going, and you are doing this beautifully; you are going towards the light; you are going towards a greater love; you are going forward and up. It is so easy; it is so beautiful. You are doing it so beautifully, so easily. Light and free. Forward and up. You are going towards a greater love than you have ever known. You are going towards the best, the greatest love, and it is easy, it is so easy, and you are doing it so beautifully.”

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Meagan Edmondson

Meagan Edmondson is a journalism student, among many other things: a lover, a friend, a vegetarian, a yogi in progress, a Libra, an artist, a runner, an outdoors enthusiast, a dog owner, a logophile, a science advocate and a live music junkie. She loves to read things worth writing and to write things worth reading. Meagan believes that if one can lead a mindful life in a world touched by corruption then one can remain mindful in a discreditable industry — which many argue journalism is turning to. Follow Meagan in her work in progress on Facebook and Twitter.